Router table router died

JimD

Jim
Senior User
I've been using an old Ryobi R500 motor in my router table. It has to be over 20 years old and died. I noticed it was running oddly and looked at it and something had melted and run out the air inlet. I took it apart but it isn't obvious what melted and part availability isn't great. It used 13.3A at full load so it was pretty powerful and served me well for a long time. Initially it was a plunge router but the plunge got sticky and when I built my current router table I decided to move the motor to it.

So I bought a Porter Cable 7518. I got the full router instead of just the motor I needed because it was only 10 or 15 dollars more. The base might be handy sometime. But it is a very big router for hand held use. The router speed is nicely marked on the end of the motor although it will be hard to see in my router table.

My router table design has a home made lift and you mount the router motor to a wooden block that gets bolted down to the lift. So now I need to make the block for the new motor. It will just need a round hole but I'm not entirely sure what to do about the little pins in the motor outside for the height adjustment when used in the router base. I'll probably put little grooves for them in the mounting block but I could make the opening an eighth or so larger so the motor could slide in over them then clamp the motor forcing the little nubs into the wood. That would prevent the motor turning. But I'm not sure it will make the mount as rigid and the grooves would also prevent rotation.

Anybody with experience or a different idea? I don't have a hole saw over 4 inches in diameter so I'm thinking of using one of my PC 690 routers with a circle cutting jig.
 

MarkE

Mark
Corporate Member
I'm not sure if my situation applies, but here it is.

I also have the PC Speedmatic router, motor only. I have mine mounted in a router lift. Those little nubs proved to be a pain when trying to orient the router motor in the lift, so I just cut them off. Since I did not buy a base for the router, and never intend to use this monster hand held, I figured, why fight with it, just get rid of something that I will never need.

On a side note, how many folks out there actually use one of these huge 3-1/4 hp routers hand held? And why? :)
 

junquecol

Bruce
Senior User
I'm not sure if my situation applies, but here it is.



On a side note, how many folks out there actually use one of these huge 3-1/4 hp routers hand held? And why? :)
Corian counter top fabricators, along with stone countertop fabricators. On stone, you have to use diamond bits instead of carbide.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
Thanks for your thoughts. I need to get to the shop and take a look at things and start fabricating. I will probably try a wood mount first but if it flexes too much, I may modify the router base (cut off the handles) and bolt that to the lift. I think the screws that hold the baseplate on are 1/4 inch and there are 4 or 5. That should be pretty strong. I will use a drop of loctite if I go this way. But a wood mount, if it works, would let me keep the base if I ever want to route corian or stone :).
 

chris_goris

Chris
Senior User
I'm not sure if my situation applies, but here it is.

I also have the PC Speedmatic router, motor only. I have mine mounted in a router lift. Those little nubs proved to be a pain when trying to orient the router motor in the lift, so I just cut them off. Since I did not buy a base for the router, and never intend to use this monster hand held, I figured, why fight with it, just get rid of something that I will never need.

On a side note, how many folks out there actually use one of these huge 3-1/4 hp routers hand held? And why? :)
I use mine regularly for edge profiling with large cutters on kitchen island tops. The heft and grunt the machine has is the only way to get a clean, one pass cut.
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
Well the wooden mount works fine so I still have the fixed base so I could remove the motor and use it hand held. Not sure I ever will but maybe. My circle cutting jig for my router (PC690) worked well and the big 7518 seems to be solidly in place in the router table. In theory, loosening one 1/4 bolt would remove it but the fit is pretty snug so it will take some wiggling if I ever want it out. I used a little roundover, the bit I had in the old motor when it failed. It works but didn't really use the capacity of the 7518. I have not purchased a new dado set for my table saw, I plan to try to do dados with my routers for awhile and see how I like it. That is one place the 7518 will be asked to do more. I also have bits to do raised panel doors and the panel raising bits really need a big router with speed control like the 7518. Nice to get the router table fixed and upgraded.
 

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BKind2Anmls

New User
Susan
I'm not sure if my situation applies, but here it is.

I also have the PC Speedmatic router, motor only. I have mine mounted in a router lift. Those little nubs proved to be a pain when trying to orient the router motor in the lift, so I just cut them off. Since I did not buy a base for the router, and never intend to use this monster hand held, I figured, why fight with it, just get rid of something that I will never need.

On a side note, how many folks out there actually use one of these huge 3-1/4 hp routers hand held? And why? :)
I have the big Bosch router and find its weight makes it easier for me to control. It's power means I can push at whatever speed I feel comfortable with.
 

Martin Roper

Martin
Senior User
I have a 25 or 30 year-old Hitachi TR-12. About 20 years ago I was negotiating a price on a used Jet 6" jointer and we were about $25 apart. The guy offered to throw in the router and a couple bits if I paid the extra $25, so I took it.

1595988754522.png


It's a beast. It has no soft start. No variable speed. I use it mostly for making dados and drilling dog holes. It's overkill for rounding edges or chamfering, etc.

I misplaced those bits and sold the Jet, but ironically I still have the router.
 

Roy G

Roy
Senior User
Martin, I have the Makita that is like your Hitachi. It also does not have variable speed, but MLCS sold a variable speed device that works up to 15 amps. I use it when I am doing raised panels with those big router bits.

Roy G
 

woodworkingshop.com

Coleman
User
INSIDER NEWS for all of you NCWWR members:

Porter Cable - in an unbelievably stupid move (my opinion) has discontinued the 7518 router as well as the 75182 motor (75% of all router table inserts built to fit the 7518 - not counting numerous industrial machines). If you have a chance to buy one - get it NOW as we can no longer get this router.

7518 - less than 10 available
75182 - less than 5 available

https://www.woodworkingshop.com/product/pc07518/


Coleman
 

Rwe2156

DrBob
Senior User
If you got 20yrs out of a Ryobi thats amazing.

I had one of the Hitachi M12V and was a beast, but died after 8 yrs.

Go figure......
 

JimD

Jim
Senior User
Weight isn't all a great thing in a router but the R500 was a heavy and sturdy router. The whole lower portion was metal. Steel posts and aluminum base. It's unfortunate that the same manufacturer, Ryobi, makes some decent if not nice tools and others that are definitely low end. But the Porter Cable seems similarly sturdy. We'll see how long it lasts. I used a speed control on the Ryobi and it didn't have soft start but in a router table it didn't matter to me. The PC is both soft start and has variable speed built in.
 

Martin Roper

Martin
Senior User
Porter Cable - in an unbelievably stupid move (my opinion) has discontinued the 7518 router as well as the 75182 motor (75% of all router table inserts built to fit the 7518 - not counting numerous industrial machines).

It sounds like Porter-Cable is in a death swirl in the toilet bowl since being acquired by Stanley Black & Decker.
 

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